Ministry of Culture
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in the latest edition of Mann Ki Baat, highlights the importance of various festivals, celebrations and sports in uniting people and bringing out the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, during the 94th Edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on 30th October, 2022 has highlighted the importance of various festivals, celebrations and sports like Chhath, National Unity Day, Janjatiya Gaurav Divas , Gurupurab, Navratri and National Games in uniting people and bringing out the spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.
The Prime Minister said that 'Chhath', the great festival of sun worship is being celebrated in many parts of the country . The festival of Chhath is an example of 'Ek Bharat- Shrestha Bharat', the Prime Minister said. Today, wherever the people of Bihar and Purvanchal are in any corner of the country, Chhath is being celebrated with great pomp. Chhath is now getting organized on a large scale in different districts of Maharashtra along with Delhi, Mumbai and many parts of Gujarat. The Prime Minister said that he remembers that earlier in Gujarat, Chhath Pooja was not performed to this extent. But with the passage of time, the colors of Chhath Puja have started getting dissolved in almost the whole of Gujarat. Nowadays we see, how many grand pictures of Chhath Puja come from abroad too. That is, the rich heritage of India, our faith, is re-inforcing its identity in every corner of the world.
Talking about the Nation Unity Day, the PM said that on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Run for Unity is organized in every corner of the country. This race strengthens the thread of unity in the country, inspires our youth.
Prime Minister elaborated that the same sentiment has been seen during our National Games as well. With the theme 'Judega India to Jeetega India', National Games, on the one hand, have given a strong message of unity, on the other, have promoted India's sports culture. The National Games this time was the biggest ever organized in India, the Prime Minister said. 36 sports were included in this, in which, 7 new and two indigenous competitions, Yogasan and Mallakhamb were also included. The PM said that in Gujarat, the National Games were held during Navratri. While the players also used to participate in the games during the day; in the evening they used to get immersed in the colors of Garba and Dandiya. The way art, sports and culture came together during the National Games in Ahmedabad, it filled all with joy. They also shared a lot of pictures of Gujarati food and Navratri on social media. After all, through games like these, one comes to know about the diverse cultures of India. They equally strengthen the spirit of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat', the Prime Minister said.
PM further said that on the 15th of November, our country will celebrate the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. The country started this last year to celebrate the tribal heritage and pride on the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Bahgwan Birsa Munda had united millions of people against the British rule in his short lifetime. He had sacrificed his life to protect India's independence and tribal culture. There is so much that we can learn from Dharti Aba Birsa Munda. He had always emphasized that we should not forget our tribal culture, we should not go far from it at all. Even today, we can learn a lot about nature and environment from the tribal societies of the country. The Prime Minister reiterated that last year on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, he had the privilege of inaugurating the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Museum in Ranchi.
PM added that the 8th of November is Gurupurab. As much as the Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak ji is important for our faith, we equally get to learn from it. Throughout his life, Guru Nanak Dev Ji spread light for the sake of humanity. In the last few years, the country has made many efforts to spread the light of Gurus to the masses. We had the privilege of celebrating the 550th Prakash Parv of Guru Nanak DevJi on a large scale in the country and abroad.We have to continuously learn from the teachings of our Gurus and remain devoted to them, he said. This day is also Kartik Purnima. On this day, at places of pilgrimages, we bathe and perform service and charity. The PM extended extend warm greetings to everybody on these festivals.
PM Shri Narendra Modi has accorded Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat the pride of place in various editions of Mann ki Baat.